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Rams defensive star Aaron Donald is once again expected to be absent when the team opens training camp this week at UC Irvine. Donald is seeking a new contract. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Perhaps, in Irvine, locals will begin telling the story of the legendary creature who once prowled their fields but then disappeared. Around those parts, Aaron Donald is more of a myth.

The Rams start training camp this week at UC Irvine, which means it is time for nobody’s favorite game: Will Donald show up? He’s more than a year into his quest for a new contract, and last year he skipped all of camp and also missed the first game of the season. Nothing has been resolved.

Donald remains under contract for the 2018 season but wants a new deal. Even if Donald chooses to miss the start of camp, NFL free-agency rules make it unlikely that the protest will last for long.

Still, it’s a distraction for the rest of the team, and the Rams surely would like to build on the positivity of last season, when they shockingly went 11-5, won the NFC West and gobbled up the awards for top coach (Sean McVay), top offensive player (Todd Gurley) and top defensive player (Donald).

The Rams are favored to repeat as division champions and also are considered Super Bowl contenders, with a still-strong offense and an improved defense, but they have work to do in camp before their Sept. 10 opener at Oakland. That starts Monday, when quarterbacks and rookies report. The first full-team practice will be held Thursday afternoon.

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CAMPGROUND

The Rams are back in Irvine for a third consecutive year, and will practice there 13 times before they return to Thousand Oaks after an Aug. 18 preseason game. The Rams will be away for a week, though. They will hold joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 6 and 7 in suburban Maryland.

THE BIG QUESTION

At 6-foot-1, 280 pounds, Aaron Donald typically isn’t tough to locate, but the Rams will have their eyes open. Donald missed all of the team’s offseason program, which included a mandatory minicamp, and there’s no indication that he plans to report with the rest of his veteran teammates on Tuesday.

If Donald doesn’t report by Aug. 7, he will lose his chance at unrestricted free agency next March. That seems risky and unlikely, so the most likely scenario involves a short Donald absence and probably zero snaps in any of the four preseason games.

The panic level is low, though. Donald is known for his fierce offseason workouts, and even though he missed last year’s camp, he remained one of the NFL’s most dominant players.

POSITION BATTLES TO WATCH

Right guard: Things hummed along nicely for the Rams until early July, when the league announced that Jamon Brown had been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for a violation of the substance-abuse policy. The Rams don’t have an obvious backup ready to go, so it’s likely that Austin Blythe, Aaron Neary and Joseph Noteboom each will get a look as Brown’s short-term replacement.

Running back: A year ago, the Rams signed Lance Dunbar with the hope that he would be their third-down, change-of-pace back. It didn’t work, because knee issues limited Dunbar to 12 touches for the season. The Rams are fairly set here, with Gurley and backup Malcolm Brown, but there could be an interesting competition between Justin Davis and rookie John Kelly for the third spot.

Cornerback: There’s plentiful talent at this spot, with Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Nickell Robey-Coleman likely to earn the starting jobs. There’s also some intrigue. Sam Shields is a former standout who has dealt with concussion issues, while younger players such as Troy Hill, Kevin Peterson and Dominique Hatfield have played well in limited roles. There are only so many spots available.

ROOKIES TO WATCH

1. Obo Okoronkwo, linebacker: A fifth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma, Okoronkwo likely would have received first-team reps during the Rams’ offseason program, but he underwent foot surgery. Given that outside linebacker is the Rams’ thinnest position, Okoronkwo will have a chance to earn significant playing time during camp.

2. Joseph Noteboom, offensive lineman: Drafted in the third round as a possible backup for left tackle Andrew Whitworth, Noteboom might also get some time at guard because of Brown’s early-season suspension. At worst, Noteboom should be in the rotation for snaps as a backup in 2018.

3. Micah Kiser, linebacker: This fifth-round draft pick didn’t get significant attention, but he’s an intelligent player – he won the NCAA’s “academic Heisman” last season at Virginia – and could thrive as a signal-calling middle linebacker. As always, though, his on-field development will be most important.

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.